Biff Elliot
Encyclopedia
Biff Elliot is an American
actor
. He is perhaps best known for his role as popular detective Mike Hammer
in the 1953 version of I, the Jury
, and as his guest appearance in the Star Trek
episode "The Devil in the Dark".
as Leon Shalek. He was the son of Jack and Susan, with Jack being a former semi-pro baseball player, then retiring and opening up a burlap-bag manufacturing business in Presque Isle, Maine
.
Originally Elliot received the nickname Bith from his brothers, but later adopted to Biff when he went into boxing. When he was 16 his family moved to Presque Isle, where he became involved in boxing and then bore the name Biff Harris. Eventually Elliot went on to become the North Maine champion and even reached the New England regional championship, but once his mother found out about his fighting she refused him to continue on boxing. In 1943 Elliot signed up for the United States Army
and was placed in the 34th Infantry Division, later on being stationed to North Africa
.
Once the war finished Elliot was discharged and decided to return to the University of Maine
in 1945. He graduated from Maine in 1949 and moved to New York
in hopes of pursuing a writing career. After failing to make out as a writer, Elliot switched his attention to acting, and began taking acting courses at the actors' studio.
, the producer who was preparing the first film adaption of Mickey Spillane
's I, the Jury
. When accepted for the audition Elliot was brought to Hollywood, and began preparing for his role by cramming himself with Mike Hammer
novels and spending the whole night re-reading the novels. After a successful 15 minute audition Elliot was selected to become the first actor to portray the famed Mike Hammer in a motion picture, and thus his first leading role on film.
Over the next few years Elliot was a prominent fixture in classic war films of the 1950s and 60s. Appearing in films such as Between Heaven and Hell
, The Enemy Below
, Pork Chop Hill
, and PT 109
, but mostly he worked in television. In 1959, Elliot got a seemingly good break when playwright Clifford Odets
happened to see I, The Jury and offered him a role in The Story on Page One
, which Odets wrote and directed. Thereafter Elliot was mostly seen on television over the next decade, including an appearance on Frank Lovejoy
's detective series, Meet McGraw
. In 1967, he appeared in the Star Trek
episode "The Devil in the Dark". A late notable role was in 1981 when he co-starred in Back to the Planet of the Apes, a TV movie. Elliot would make his final film appearance in 1986 in a comedy which he co-starred with Jack Lemmon
in That's Life
. His latest appearance on television was in 1986 on the set of the television series of Starman
, subsequently retiring in 2001.
sports for CBS Radio Network
. Elliot was previously married to Betty Cole a former model, whom he met during his tenure at the University of Maine
and married her in his sophomore year in 1948, but died in 1974. Elliot remarried in 1977 to Connie and both ccurrently reside in Los Angeles.
He was a brother of longtime CBS Radio Network
sportscaster
and 1950's TV game show
host Win Elliott.
Elliot was a close friend of the late actor Jack Lemmon, and appeared in several of his films, including Kotch
, The Front Page
, and That's Life!.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is perhaps best known for his role as popular detective Mike Hammer
Mike Hammer
Michael "Mike" Hammer is a fictional detective created by the American author Mickey Spillane in the 1947 book I, the Jury .-Description:...
in the 1953 version of I, the Jury
I, the Jury (1953 film)
I, the Jury is a mystery-thriller film from 1953, based on the novel I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane. It was directed by Harry Essex, produced by Victor Saville's company, Parklane Pictures and released through United Artists....
, and as his guest appearance in the Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "The Devil in the Dark".
Early life
Biff Elliot was born in Lynn, MassachusettsLynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...
as Leon Shalek. He was the son of Jack and Susan, with Jack being a former semi-pro baseball player, then retiring and opening up a burlap-bag manufacturing business in Presque Isle, Maine
Presque Isle, Maine
Presque Isle is the commercial center and largest city in the sparsely populated Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,692 at the 2010 census...
.
Originally Elliot received the nickname Bith from his brothers, but later adopted to Biff when he went into boxing. When he was 16 his family moved to Presque Isle, where he became involved in boxing and then bore the name Biff Harris. Eventually Elliot went on to become the North Maine champion and even reached the New England regional championship, but once his mother found out about his fighting she refused him to continue on boxing. In 1943 Elliot signed up for the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and was placed in the 34th Infantry Division, later on being stationed to North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
.
Once the war finished Elliot was discharged and decided to return to the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
in 1945. He graduated from Maine in 1949 and moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in hopes of pursuing a writing career. After failing to make out as a writer, Elliot switched his attention to acting, and began taking acting courses at the actors' studio.
Career
He first started doing stage and television work, mostly playing tough, working-class characters. Until he was spotted by a Hollywood attorney while performing a television episode, the attorney recommended him to Victor SavilleVictor Saville
Victor Saville was an English film director, producer and screenwriter. He directed 39 films between 1927 and 1954...
, the producer who was preparing the first film adaption of Mickey Spillane
Mickey Spillane
Frank Morrison Spillane , better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American author of crime novels, many featuring his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally...
's I, the Jury
I, the Jury
I, The Jury is Mickey Spillane's first novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer.-Plot summary:New York City, summer 1944. Although she runs a successful private psychiatric clinic on New York's Park Avenue, Dr. Charlotte Manning — young, beautiful, blonde, and well-to-do —...
. When accepted for the audition Elliot was brought to Hollywood, and began preparing for his role by cramming himself with Mike Hammer
Mike Hammer
Michael "Mike" Hammer is a fictional detective created by the American author Mickey Spillane in the 1947 book I, the Jury .-Description:...
novels and spending the whole night re-reading the novels. After a successful 15 minute audition Elliot was selected to become the first actor to portray the famed Mike Hammer in a motion picture, and thus his first leading role on film.
Over the next few years Elliot was a prominent fixture in classic war films of the 1950s and 60s. Appearing in films such as Between Heaven and Hell
Between Heaven and Hell (film)
Between Heaven and Hell is a 1956 20th Century Fox Cinemascope colour war film based on the novel The Day the Century Ended by Francis Gwaltney that the film follows closely...
, The Enemy Below
The Enemy Below
The Enemy Below is a 1957 war film which tells the story of the battle between the captain of an American destroyer escort and the commander of a German U-boat during World War II. It stars Robert Mitchum, Curt Jürgens, David Hedison and Theodore Bikel. The movie was directed and produced by Dick...
, Pork Chop Hill
Pork Chop Hill
Pork Chop Hill , directed by Lewis Milestone, is a Korean War war film based upon the eponymous book by military historian S. L. A. Marshall, depicting the bitterly fierce first Battle of Pork Chop Hill between the U.S. Army's 7th Infantry Division, and Chinese and Korean Communist forces at the...
, and PT 109
PT 109 (film)
PT 109 is a 1963 biographical film which depicts the actions of John F. Kennedy in command of Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109 as an officer of the United States Navy during World War II. The movie was adapted by Vincent Flaherty and Howard Sheehan from the book PT 109: John F. Kennedy in World War II by...
, but mostly he worked in television. In 1959, Elliot got a seemingly good break when playwright Clifford Odets
Clifford Odets
Clifford Odets was an American playwright, screenwriter, socialist, and social protester.-Early life:Odets was born in Philadelphia to Romanian- and Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, Louis Odets and Esther Geisinger, and raised in Philadelphia and the Bronx, New York. He dropped out of high...
happened to see I, The Jury and offered him a role in The Story on Page One
The Story on Page One
"The Story on Page One" is an episode from the second season of the FOX animated series Family Guy. It is the 26th episode of Family Guy. It guest-stars Luke Perry as himself.-Plot:...
, which Odets wrote and directed. Thereafter Elliot was mostly seen on television over the next decade, including an appearance on Frank Lovejoy
Frank Lovejoy
Frank Lovejoy was an American actor in radio, film, and television. He was born Frank Lovejoy Jr. in Bronx, New York, but grew up in New Jersey. His father, Frank Lovejoy Sr., was a furniture salesman from Maine...
's detective series, Meet McGraw
Meet McGraw
Meet McGraw is an American dramatic television series starring Frank Lovejoy in the role of the hard-hitting detective McGraw, a man specifically given no first name in the program. Forty-one half-hour episodes aired on NBC during the 1957-1958 season, sponsored by Procter & Gamble. The series was...
. In 1967, he appeared in the Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "The Devil in the Dark". A late notable role was in 1981 when he co-starred in Back to the Planet of the Apes, a TV movie. Elliot would make his final film appearance in 1986 in a comedy which he co-starred with Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
in That's Life
That's Life! (film)
That's Life! is a 1986 film with Jack Lemmon and Julie Andrews, directed by Blake Edwards.The film was made independently by Edwards using largely his own finances and was distributed by Columbia Pictures...
. His latest appearance on television was in 1986 on the set of the television series of Starman
Starman (TV series)
Starman is an American science fiction television series, starring Robert Hays and Christopher Daniel Barnes. The series ran on the ABC network from September 19, 1986 to May 2, 1987...
, subsequently retiring in 2001.
Personal life
Since Elliot's retirement he continued to work in radio sports, covering Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
sports for CBS Radio Network
CBS Radio Network
The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by CBS Corporation, and operated by CBS Radio ....
. Elliot was previously married to Betty Cole a former model, whom he met during his tenure at the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
and married her in his sophomore year in 1948, but died in 1974. Elliot remarried in 1977 to Connie and both ccurrently reside in Los Angeles.
He was a brother of longtime CBS Radio Network
CBS Radio Network
The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by CBS Corporation, and operated by CBS Radio ....
sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
and 1950's TV game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
host Win Elliott.
Elliot was a close friend of the late actor Jack Lemmon, and appeared in several of his films, including Kotch
Kotch
Kotch is a 1971 American comedy film which tells the story of an elderly man who runs away so as not to be put into a nursing home, and strikes up a friendship with a pregnant teenage girl. It stars Walter Matthau, Deborah Winters, Felicia Farr, Charles Aidman and Ellen Geer.The film was adapted...
, The Front Page
The Front Page
The Front Page is a hit Broadway comedy about tabloid newspaper reporters on the police beat, written by one-time Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur which was first produced in 1928.-Synopsis:...
, and That's Life!.